


Fading Blue Skies

by shatteredchou (peachihobi)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Businessman Akashi Seijuurou, CEO Akashi Seijuurou, Fluff, Kindergarten Teacher Kuroko Tetsuya, M/M, POV Akashi Seijuurou
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-13 09:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21492073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachihobi/pseuds/shatteredchou
Summary: ❝You looked like an angel wishing to go back to heaven.❞Akashi didn't know how he ended up at the park - next to a stranger - watching the clear skies. What he did know, was that he wanted to stay there forever. For what reason he wasn't sure of himself, but he was captivated, mesmerized by the bluenette next to him, who looked at the sky in a daze.
Relationships: Akashi Seijuurou/Kuroko Tetsuya
Comments: 6
Kudos: 85





	1. The Sky

**Author's Note:**

> akashi is a little bit out of character but i think it would suit him for this story.
> 
> i hope you enjoy!

Akashi always hated the sky. When the skies were clear, the sun blinded him. When the grey clouds covered the blue sky, the rain soaked him and made Akashi look as if he'd dived in a pool with all his clothes. The white fluffy clouds always reminded him of marshmallows. Soft, squishy and sweet. Akashi didn't like sweets.

So Akashi didn't know what he was doing. Laying down under the shade of the giant Sakura tree and watching the white squishy clouds float by.

The sky was a bright blue, the breeze light as it swept up the leaves and cherry blossom petals, the clouds drifting by like nobody's business. The pink Sakura petals fell on the green grass around Akashi. While closing his eyes, he heard the sounds of children's laughter, sounds of birds chirping and people's light chatter. Akashi heard the sound of footsteps, light in their steps and slow. He tried to wait until they left, passing by until they were gone, but they grew closer and closer until they stopped a few feet away from him.

Hearing the soft '_thump_' of a body sitting down on the grass, Akashi opened his eyes.

Maybe it was the blinding light of the sun or the shade in which the stranger sat under, or maybe it was all just Akashi's imagination. The person next to him was smiling. It was a small smile, gentle in the curve of the ends of pink lips, sweet and innocent in the way that it wasn't intrusive, just, kind. Curious. Lured by the captivating smile, Akashi noticed the teal blue hair, soft like silk and shining, even though the sun wasn't directly hitting it. Akashi wanted to run his hands through it. Next, he noticed the pair of eyes, the same color as the hair of the stranger, but in a different shade. They reminded Akashi of the blue sky, bright and bold. They were like two different worlds, sharing the same colored sky. The same but so different. They were beautiful.

The person looked like a painting imprinted onto the world around him. He was engraved into Akashi's mind, the way he held himself with confidence. Quiet in the way he existed. Gentle in the way he moved, like a sort of feminine grace. He was carved into Akashi's mind, he would probably be able to see the image whenever he closed his eyes.

Akashi smiled back as the stranger looked up at the sky above them.

"The sky looks bright and happy doesn't it?"

It was a wonder how Akashi could hear the bluenette's voice. It was soft, almost as if it was a whisper carried along by the wind. It was like the faint whistle of air during a thunderstorm as the skies roared and rain poured harshly against windowpanes. It was smooth like silk, sweet like honey, yet as cold as a freezing winter morning.

"I'm not so sure, I don't particularly like the sky."

"Why? The sky is beautiful." The person turned to look at Akashi, his blue eyes shining with a type of curiosity Akashi couldn't pinpoint.

"It's either really sunny or it's always raining, it annoys me."

The stranger hummed, shifting his gaze to the sky again. He looked lost. Like he wasn't on earth. As if he was daydreaming, stuck in a trance of sorts. Almost as if he wished to be a part of the sky.

Akashi decided not to say anything. It would be rude to intrude on a moment that seemed so special to the bluenette. Instead, he gazed at the blue sky.

"Ah. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. You are?"

"Akashi Seijuurou." He replied.

"Nice to meet you Akashi-kun." 

"Likewise Kuroko." Out of the corner of his eye, Akashi saw Kuroko run his fingers delicately over the spine of his book. His pale fingers gently tracing the letters on the cover. Not wanting to disturb, Akashi decided to close his eyes once more, drowning in the sounds of the park surrounding him. He assumed Kuroko had started reading.

When Akashi opened his eyes again, he saw the cherry blossom tree sway gently with the wind, pink petals falling, drifting away quietly. The sky was a canvas smeared with different shades of red, pink, yellow, orange, purple and blue paint. Confused from the view, the redhead sat up slowly, because _did he just fall asleep?_

"Did you sleep well?"

Looking to his right, Kuroko kept on reading, his back against the bark of the tree, pale skin glowing pink from the sun setting before them.

A little embarrassed, Akashi answered the question. "Surprisingly, yes. What time is it?"

Kuroko looked up at the sky before answering, his eyes glazed over with emotions Akashi couldn't identify. "It's about 8 pm by now, you slept for quite a while."

Akashi moved to lean against the trunk of the tree. While Kuroko turned his attention back to his book, Akashi looked far into the horizon to watch the sun slowly disappear. After a few moments of silence, Akashi spoke softly.

"Do you come here often?"

"Almost every day, sometimes to read and other times to relax."

"At the same time?"

"Yes."

Silence was always something nice in Akashi's opinion. Stealing a glance at Kuroko, he noticed that while Kuroko didn't physically express emotion, his eyes gave him away. They held different emotions as he read. And Kuroko wouldn't look away from his book as he spoke, it was almost as if he was talking to the book. His teal hair swayed with the wind, pink petals catching onto his hair for a few moments before drifting off again. Suddenly, Kuroko closed his book and stood up with quiet grace.

"I have to go now. It was nice meeting you Akashi-kun. I'll see you tomorrow." He met Akashi's red eyes as he spoke, dusting his clothes and offering a small smile before he turned around and walked away.

Akashi stared at the disappearing figure, confused. He looked up at the darkened sky, hints of orange slowly disappearing, and a smile made it's way to Akashi's face.

Akashi had to fill out paperwork tomorrow. He wouldn't be able to come to see Kuroko, but Kuroko was captivating, and Akashi wanted to talk to the bluenette. Akashi wanted to know why Kuroko seemed so lost while looking at the sky.

Maybe Akashi didn't have much paperwork tomorrow.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." He whispered to himself with a smile.


	2. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky blue clashed with golden red, seeping into any and every crack, any opening that let Kuroko read and study Akashi like an open book. His eyes were all-knowing. Curious. Always curious.

"Your eyes remind me of the sunset."

Opening his eyes, Akashi's view was covered in red, orange, pink and purple. He turned to look at Kuroko to his right, who was once again looking at the sky, admiring the colors that mingled together. Kuroko didn't look so lost. Instead, he looks calm, almost relieved, but Akashi didn't know what that meant.

They had been here for a while now. Since noon, when the skies were cleared of clouds and everything shined from the blinding sun. Akashi had taken another nap under the Sakura tree while Kuroko read his book silently next to him.

"They have such a nice color and the feeling that emits from them is like the sunset." Kuroko continued speaking, his honey-ed voice soothing Akashi.

Even though Akashi's eyes were red and golden, resembling the sunset's two main colors, Akashi didn't believe that his eyes held feeling. It confused Akashi how Kuroko came up with such an idea.

"How so?" Akashi asked, propping his elbows on the ground to lift his torso up and get a better view of Kuroko.

"They hold such intensity. Many feelings of hatred, warmth, sorrow, and loneliness." Kuroko explained. Sky blue clashed with golden red, seeping into any and every crack, any opening that let Kuroko read and study Akashi like an open book. His eyes were all-knowing. Curious. Always curious.

Akashi never looked away, didn't dare to look away. He was mesmerized by the blue orbs as if they were precious gems. Gems that Akashi couldn't touch.

"I have no such thing in my eyes," Akashi claimed.

"Then you do in your life," Kuroko answered in a gentle voice.

This made Akashi think. If warmth was a part of his life, where was it? Why does he feel sorrow and loneliness, as if the world was against him and enjoyed his suffering? Warmth should bring comfort, he should feel safe, but he feels cold. Isolated.

"I don't have warmth," I replied back.

He hadn't felt warmth in years, decades even. All he's ever felt was the drop of temperature as each day passed by. His comfort and warmth had left him, abandoned him when he was a kid.

"You don't. But you feel it."

But how could he feel something he's lost long ago? From who would he feel it from?

"How is that?"

Kuroko smiled sweetly at Akashi as one would smile to a kid in adoration. "I wouldn't know Akashi-kun, I'm not you."

Akashi looked at his blue eyes, their shine changing to something more distant, longing, until Kuroko looked up at the sky again, the sweet smile still on his lips. Akashi couldn't help but keep staring at the innocent and relaxed expression that graced Kuroko. He was like a porcelain doll, one so fragile that a simple landing of a butterfly would break him.

Reluctantly tearing his eyes away from the bluenette, Akashi glanced up to the sky in contemplation before laying back down. He heard the flip of a page and his heterochromatic eyes glanced at the source of the sound before closing.

Maybe Akashi couldn't feel warmth, but if such a person like Kuroko could see it in his eyes, he wondered how he felt it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is always such a pleasure to re-read and write.
> 
> fyi: this is actually a rewrite of an older version of this story. this is crossposted on wattpad under the same pseud.


	3. Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was somewhat reassuring whenever Akashi heard the gentle and sweet voice drifting in the air, it reminded the redhead that he wasn't alone in his office filing paperwork or reading; that he had some company. A friend.

A week came and went and Akashi found himself under the cherry blossom tree watching the fluffy clouds drift by in the blue sky, waiting for someone to accompany him in the silence.

He found it somewhat amusing how a simple decision of coming to the park once turned into an almost daily routine. All because of Kuroko Tetsuya, but Akashi didn't mind the change in his mundane life. It was relaxing, _refreshing_ being out of his office and away from the deafening silence. The silence in the park was different because he had someone to share the silence with. There was a silence that Akashi knew Kuroko could break just to talk. It was somewhat reassuring whenever Akashi heard the gentle and sweet voice drifting in the air, it reminded the redhead that he wasn't alone in his office filing paperwork or reading; that he had some company. A friend.

Akashi opened his eyes, having closed them at some point during his pondering, and he looked into the blue sky above him. The week he'd been here, he came to enjoy the presence of Kuroko and enjoy the view of the sky that made Kuroko seem so unreachable when he was only an arms-length away.

Their conversations were those related to emotions, metaphors and the like. It often made Akashi think and sometimes he would try to compare Kuroko to the nature around them. Often times Akashi would say them to Kuroko and he would feel a speck of embarrassment, but Kuroko would simply take in the words without fuss or teasing and Akashi would feel a bit better.

_"What about them?"_ Kuroko asked when Akashi told him he liked his bold blue eyes.

_"I'm not exactly sure, but they remind of the sky. They're bright; they hold innocence and a sense of comfort." Akashi explained as he studied the sky, trying to figure out the similarities. The sun was beginning to set, different shades of pink and purple mixing and fading into royal blue and dark plum color._

_"How are they innocent?" The redhead turned to meet Kuroko's inquisitive eyes. Akashi stared into them for a while as he tried to think of how it's possible a grown man could have innocent eyes._

_"They're big and baby blue."_

_"How do they resemble the sky?" Akashi could make out the slight amusement decorating Kuroko's features and he turned to look at the sky to look for an answer._

_"They're bright and hold emotions. Sometimes they feel distant and you look so far away even though you're right here." Kuroko nodded at the words and smiled up at the sky. Baby blue met dark plum and Akashi could only watch in a daze at the wistful smile on Kuroko's pale pink lips._

_"So they get cloudy like the sky."_

_It wasn't a question, and it wasn't directed toward Akashi. It was a whisper, a secret that Akashi felt he wasn't supposed to hear but still got carried by the wind towards the redhead._

_Akashi stared a little longer at Kuroko, curiosity at the tip of his tongue, but he bit his lip and leaned back on the grass, gazing at the dark sky in wonder before closing his eyes and enjoying the shared silence._

_-_

Akashi sighed at the memory and let his eyes follow a pink petal fall in front of him and land on the grass right next to him. Akashi sighed once more and stood up slowly, dusting off his clothes and peeking at the empty spot on the tree. 

Despite not wanting to, Akashi was somewhat sad that Kuroko didn't make it today, but Akashi tried to remind himself that people can get busy sometimes and Kuroko might have had something to do on a nice Saturday afternoon.

Sighing once more, Akashi walked away and decided to come back the next day. He was starting to look forward to these moments of shared silence.


	4. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looking into his eyes, Akashi wondered more and more about the delicate man sitting in front of him. He rarely shows any emotion and keeps to himself, but there was a desire within Akashi that urged him to know more about Kuroko. To unravel any and every little thing that made up Kuroko.

"Let's have some coffee Kuroko, my treat."

Akashi looked to his left towards Kuroko who was reading his book. The bluenette turned to look back with his big blue eyes and a subtle smile on his pale pink lips. He looked lost in thought for a few moments until he nodded in agreement.

"Okay, where do we go?" Kuroko closed his book after he marked his place by folding the corner of the page, and he stood up. Akashi followed suit and shifted his gaze to the sky as he pondered.

"There's a cafe two blocks away. They have good coffee and a nice atmosphere. You might like it."

"Alright." Kuroko looked at Akashi expectantly and the redhead smiled softly as he started leading the way. They walked next to each other with their hands lightly bumping, cheeks a light shade of pink and short awkward glances thrown at each other. It was a short and mostly silent walk to the cafe, the only breaks in silence were the small comments that both Kuroko and Akashi would bring up.

When they reached the cafe and ordered their drinks, Akashi led them to a table in the corner of the shop where a large window met a wall with different packages of tea and coffee. They both had the window next to them, so they were able to gaze out and see the different people passing by.

"So," Kuroko took a sip of his vanilla tea and fixed his blue eyes on the redhead. "Do you have a job?"

Akashi nodded, then took a sip of his coffee. "I'm the new owner of Akashi Corp." He expected a shocked expression since everyone always gave him one when he revealed who exactly he was, but Kuroko simply nodded and accepted the revelation for what it was. He didn't view Akashi differently because he was a CEO or because he was rich and (partially) famous in the business world. It was new for Akashi and he found himself liking the nonchalant reaction and dismissal of such news.

"Is it boring?" Kuroko asked with curiosity lacing his gentle voice.

"Not really," Akashi hummed, thinking of all the paperwork and meetings he had to attend. "But the silence bothers me." It would frustrate him at times, but only when he was tired of being alone in his silent office.

Kuroko hummed, looking slightly surprised at the response, but he tilted his head and met Akashi's eyes with his own dulled eyes, an ocean of emotions swimming in his eyes. "Why? There's silence on the tree, but you still go there."

Akashi leaned back in his chair and sipped at his coffee. He enjoyed laying under the tree, not because he got away from work, but because there was someone to share the silence with. He could relax and have some company at the same time. A pleasant company from a pleasant friend.

"I go there because it's relaxing, and I enjoy being in your company."

Kuroko seemed flustered for a few seconds, taking his eyes away from Akashi as he spoke in a slightly higher voice. "I see." He took a sip of his tea, hiding the usually pale cheeks that were now a pastel pink. Akashi would make another metaphor like his inner author wanted to, but he decided it might not have been appropriate at the moment.

Taking a sip of his own coffee he briefly wondered what to ask the bluenette in front of him. "What do you work as?"

"A kindergarten teacher," Kuroko replied with a small smile. It made Akashi strangely happy to see the bluenette smile. It also made him wonder if Kuroko had ever gotten fed up with the noise from children just like he was fed up with the lonely silence.

"Hm. It must be an adventure then."

"The kids are always coming up with something new every day." Kuroko glanced towards the window next to them, watching people pass by while dragging their umbrellas for the predicted rain that hadn't fallen for the last three days. "They always ask me a lot of questions that have nothing to do with I teach them."

"Like what?"

"What love means to me. They haven't fully grasped the reason why love is shown to others and what it really means to like someone." Kuroko chuckled a little at what he recalled. "They've asked me multiple times if I liked someone."

Akashi tilted his head in both amusement and curiosity. "Do you answer their questions?"

"I feel obligated to," came another chuckle, and it sounded like music to Akashi's ears. The redhead took a sip of his coffee as Kuroko collected his thoughts. "I tell them love is different for everyone. Some people feel overjoyed at being with someone and they call it love, others think they have to give everything they have to make the person they love happy."

Akashi nodded, and glanced outside the window, watching droplets of rain lightly hit the window pane._'I wonder who I like?'_

"Do you have that someone you like?" Akashi gazed into Kuroko's eyes as the bluenette simply stared back with unreadable blue orbs.

"Yes."

Looking into his eyes, Akashi wondered more and more about the delicate man sitting in front of him. He rarely shows any emotion and keeps to himself, but there was a desire within Akashi that urged him to know more about Kuroko. To unravel any and every little thing that made up Kuroko. 

"They must be lucky," He responds, watching as Kuroko smiles softly with knowing eyes.

Maybe through all the small talk and every glance at each other, Akashi fell in love with this man. His slight smiles always left him curious and now he wants to know, more about this delicate beauty sitting right in front of him.

"Do you have someone you like?" Kuroko asks with what wonder in his eyes.

Akashi smirked softly behind his coffee, his red eyes teasing as he gestured vaguely with his unoccupied hand. "They're sitting right in front of me."

Kuroko narrowed his eyes but still smiled with amusement. "How bold of you Akashi-kun."

"What would you respond with?" The redhead took note of every detail as he studied every action Kuroko made.

"I'll think it over and answer you later." Kuroko reached for his tea and sipped at it while peeking at Akashi through the corner of his eye.

"Then I'll wait," Came Akashi's response, gazing out through the window as he drank his coffee, relishing in the comfortable silence that filled their table.

_'I'll wait for as long as I have to. You will be worth the wait.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finals are a pain in the butt


	5. Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why do you look at the sky?"

"Why do you look at the sky?"

It had been bothering Akashi to no end. He was curious about the reason why Kuroko gazed at the sky as though it were his home. Kuroko was a complete mystery to Akashi. It irritated the redhead that he knew little about the bluenette.

"Because I enjoy watching it. Why?" Kuroko tilted his head with a look of confusion, waiting for an answer.

"You gaze at it with a distant look, as though you were in another place –another world."   
_**'You're like an angel.' **_Came a thought. He was so perfect and pure.

"Hmm... Maybe it's because I feel more connected to my parents." Kuroko closed his book and gazed at Akashi with a soft and gentle smile.

Akashi stared back in surprise. He expected a different answer, one that was filled with sorrow and nostalgia. Perhaps a memory that came with the blue hues of the sky. However, what he got was an answer spoken through well-hidden grief.

_'You're like an angel _ _ **that wishes.'** _

"How so?" Akashi sat upright and studied Kuroko's gentle movements.

"We can see one another." Kuroko gazed back up at the sky and sighed softly, the wind gently blowing his hair.

There it was again... He's so far away, but still right in front of Akashi.

"Do you think they're happy?" Akashi asked softly —too softly, it was strange to hear his voice sound so gentle, as though he were trying to gently approach Kuroko's feelings. It was alien to him, but Akashi found that he did not mind. Kuroko was a gentle person, it was only fitting for Akashi to be the same when around his presence.

"Yes. At the very least, they are free."

_'You're_ _ like an angel that wishes_ _ ** to learn how to fly.'** _

It made Akashi wonder; Did Kuroko want to learn to fly? He was like a lost angel, so perfect and innocent, so out of place in a world like this as he gazes at the sky as though he were homesick.

"Do you miss them?"

"Very much... That is why I watch the sky. I wish that one day I can be free.." Kuroko faced him again and that distant look in his eyes was still there, but this time there was sadness and what looked to be hope? _'But for what?'_

_'You're like an angel that wishes to learn how to fly_ _ ** to go back.'** _

"Do you think such a thing is possible?" Akashi gazed at the bluenette curiously. It was a look he did not give others. He was never one to show his emotions or how perplexed he is with someone's character (that is if he ever felt perplexed by someone. He usually has someone figured out), but Kuroko is different. Kuroko is a mystery that continues to bring up new questions, a mystery that Akashi continues to solve over and over again, but never comes to the same conclusion.

"Yes."

_'You're like an angel that wishes to learn how to fly to go back_**_ to heaven_**.'

"Why?"

_'How would such a thing be possible? Souls cannot exist once we die'_

"Because we're freed from all our obligations and we don't have to suffer. We're simply free. I'm sure you would understand since you have a lot to do."

Akashi looked away and towards the sky. He stared at the clouds that were lazily rolling away as he thought of every little thing he did in his day to day life. It was almost neverending. "I never thought of it that way."

But now? It was almost as if all his responsibilities disappeared off the face of the earth. Spending his days with Kuroko was slightly freeing in a sense. The passage of time did not exist in Kuroko's presence. Akashi found himself thinking that he would stay here forever if he could if only to feel slightly more free than he really is —to feel more human as he sits next to the angel.

"Kuroko?"

Kuroko hummed, turning his head to look at Akashi.

"I feel free enough sitting here with you and looking at the sky." Akashi looked him in the eye and his lips slightly move upward in what appeared to be a combination of a smirk and a sly smile.

"Was that a double meaning Akashi-kun?" Kuroko lifted a delicate eyebrow in question.

"Possibly," 

"How bold of you Akashi-kun."

Akashi chuckled at Kuroko's amused expression, feeling a rush of happiness and liberating amusement. It was foreign, like every other emotion he ever felt when he was with Kuroko. Akashi wouldn't mind feeling like this as often as possible. He gave a sigh and turned to look at the sky as Kuroko continued reading his book.

Kuroko was a mystery, but he was also a beautifully carved person, a painting on a canvas. To others, he would seem like an ordinary person, one that has not a single sin weighing on him. However, to Akashi, he was a pure angel with a dream. Kuroko is like an angel with a wish to learn how to fly just to go back to heaven.


End file.
